United States. Bureau of Reclamation

Variant names
Dates:
Active 1848
Active 1989
Americans
English

History notes:

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation Service) was a bureau of the Department of the Interior which oversaw water development projects in the western United States. In July of 1902, in accordance with the Reclamation Act 32 Stat. 388, approved June 17, 1902 (also known as the Newlands Act), Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock established the Reclamation Service within the Geological Survey. The new Reclamation Service studied potential water development projects in each western state with Federal lands -- revenue from sale of Federal lands was the initial source of the program''s funding. Because Texas had no Federal lands, it did not become a Reclamation state until 1906 when Congress passed a special Act including it in the provisions of the Reclamation Act.

From 1902 to 1907, the Reclamation Service began about 30 projects in Western states. Then, in 1907, the Secretary of the Interior separated the Reclamation Service from the Geological Survey and created an independent bureau within the Department of the Interior. Frederick Haynes Newell was appointed the first director of the new bureau.

In the early years, many projects encountered problems: lands/soils included in projects were unsuitable for irrigation; land speculation sometimes resulted in poor settlement patterns; proposed repayment schedules could not be met by irrigators who had high land preparation and facilities construction costs; settlers were inexperienced in irrigation farming; waterlogging of irrigable lands required expensive drainage projects; and projects were built in areas which could only grow low-value crops. In 1923 the agency was renamed the "Bureau of Reclamation." Then, in the face of increasing settler unrest and financial problems for the reclamation program, in 1924 the "Fact Finder''s Report" spotlighted the issues. The Fact Finders Act in late 1924 sought to resolve some of the financial and other problems. In 1928 Congress authorized the Boulder Canyon (Hoover Dam) Project, and large appropriations began, for the first time, to flow to Reclamation from the general funds of the United States. The authorization came only after a hard fought debate about the pros and cons of public power versus private power.

The heyday of Reclamation construction of water facilities occurred during the Depression and the thirty-five years after World War II. The last major authorization for construction projects occurred in the late 1960s while a parallel evolution and development of the American environmental movement began to result in strong opposition to water development projects. Even the 1976 failure of Teton Dam as it filled for the first time, did not diminish Reclamation''s strong international reputation in water development circles. However, this first and only failure of a major Reclamation dam did shake the bureau which subsequently strengthened its dam safety program to avoid similar problems in the future. However, the failure of Teton Dam, the environmental movement, and the announcement of President Jimmy Carter''s "hit list" on water projects profoundly affected the direction of Reclamation''s programs and activities in the United States.

On September 6, 1949, the Bureau was redesignated the Water and Power Resources Services, and name which was short-lived. It reverted to the Bureau of Reclamation on May 18, 1981.

Reclamation operated about 180 projects in the 17 Western States. The total Reclamation investment for completed project facilities in September of 1992 was about $11.0 billion. Reclamation projects provided agricultural, household, and industrial water to about one-third of the population of the American West. About 5 percent of the land area of the West is was irrigated, and Reclamation provided water to about one-fifth of that area, some 9,120,000 acres (37,000 km²) in 1992. Reclamation was a major American generator of electricity. In 1993 Reclamation had 56 power plants on-line and generated 125,000 GJ of electricity.

Between 1988 and 1994, the Bureau of Reclamation underwent major reorganization as construction on projects authorized in the 1960s and earlier drew to an end. Reclamation wrote that "The arid West essentially has been reclaimed. The major rivers have been harnessed and facilities are in place or are being completed to meet the most pressing current water demands and those of the immediate future." Emphasis in Reclamation programs shifted from construction to operation and maintenance of existing facilities. Reclamation''s redefined official mission was to "manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public." In redirecting its programs and responsibilities, Reclamation substantially reduced its staff levels and budgets but remained a significant Federal agency in the West.

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Subjects:

  • Agricultural colonies
  • Agriculture
  • Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Canals
  • Construction projects
  • Crops
  • Crops and water
  • Dams
  • Dams
  • Electric power distribution
  • Erosion
  • Flood control
  • Hydroelectric generators
  • Hydroelectric power plants
  • Indians of North America
  • Irrigaiton
  • Irrigation
  • Irrigation
  • Irrigation
  • Irrigation
  • Irrigation canals and flumes
  • Irrigation districts
  • Irrigation water
  • Irrigation water
  • Irrigation water
  • Land settlement
  • Land use
  • Material Types
  • Moving Images
  • National parks and reserves
  • Power-plants
  • Public lands
  • Pumping stations
  • Real property surveys
  • Reclamation of land
  • Reclamation of land
  • Reservoirs
  • Resevoirs
  • Right of way
  • Rivers
  • Rivers
  • Saline water barriers
  • Surveys
  • Tunnels
  • Water and Water Rights
  • Water districts
  • Water diversion
  • Water resources development
  • Water resources development
  • Water rights
  • Water storage
  • Water-supply
  • Water-supply
  • Water supply
  • Water transfer
  • Water utilities
  • Dams
  • Irrigation
  • Irrigation
  • Irrigation
  • Irrigation water
  • Irrigation water
  • Reclamation of land
  • Rivers
  • Water resources development
  • Water-supply

Occupations:

not available for this record

Places:

  • Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area (Wyo. and Utah) (as recorded)
  • Texas (as recorded)
  • Nebraska (as recorded)
  • Nebraska (as recorded)
  • Nebraska (as recorded)
  • Colorado (as recorded)
  • Colorado (as recorded)
  • Colorado (as recorded)
  • Colorado (as recorded)
  • Idaho (as recorded)
  • Idaho (as recorded)
  • Folsom Dam (Calif.) (as recorded)
  • Folsom Dam (Calif.) (as recorded)
  • New Mexico (as recorded)
  • New Mexico (as recorded)
  • California (as recorded)
  • California (as recorded)
  • California (as recorded)
  • California (as recorded)
  • California (as recorded)
  • North Dakota (as recorded)
  • Montana (as recorded)
  • American Falls Dam (Idaho) (as recorded)
  • American Falls Dam (Idaho) (as recorded)
  • Columbia River Basin (as recorded)
  • Oklahoma (as recorded)
  • California--San Francisco Bay Area (as recorded)
  • California--Sacramento County (as recorded)
  • Yuma (Ariz.) (as recorded)
  • Ada County (Idaho) (as recorded)
  • Ada County (Idaho) (as recorded)
  • American River (Calif.) (as recorded)
  • American River (Calif.) (as recorded)
  • Shoshone River (Wyo.) (as recorded)
  • Arizona--Yuma Mesa (as recorded)
  • California--Central Valley (Valley) (as recorded)
  • Reber Plan (as recorded)
  • Idaho--Boise (as recorded)
  • Oregon (as recorded)
  • Oregon (as recorded)
  • Oregon (as recorded)
  • Alabama (as recorded)
  • Laguna dam (as recorded)
  • Arizona (as recorded)
  • Arizona (as recorded)
  • Arizona (as recorded)
  • Arizona (as recorded)
  • Arizona (as recorded)
  • Missouri River (as recorded)
  • California--Madera County (as recorded)
  • Georgia (as recorded)
  • Salmon River (Idaho) (as recorded)
  • Nimbus Dam (Calif.) (as recorded)
  • Louisiana (as recorded)
  • Salt River (Ariz.) (as recorded)
  • West (U.S.) (as recorded)
  • West (U.S.) (as recorded)
  • Wyoming (as recorded)
  • Wyoming (as recorded)
  • Idaho--Ada County (as recorded)
  • Platte River watershed (as recorded)
  • Colorado--Big Thompson River (as recorded)
  • Wyoming (as recorded)
  • Utah (as recorded)
  • California--San Francisco Bay (as recorded)
  • California--San Joaquin County (as recorded)
  • Colorado River (as recorded)
  • Snake River (Wyo.-Wash.) (as recorded)
  • Hawaii (as recorded)
  • El Paso (Tex.) (as recorded)
  • San Joaquin County (as recorded)
  • California--Sacramento (as recorded)
  • California--Sacramento (as recorded)
  • Florida (as recorded)
  • Nevada (as recorded)
  • Nevada (as recorded)
  • Flaming Gorge Dam (Utah) (as recorded)
  • Pine Flat Dam (Calif.) (as recorded)
  • South Dakota (as recorded)
  • Idaho--Boise River Valley (as recorded)
  • Idaho--Boise River Valley (as recorded)
  • Utah (as recorded)
  • Green River (Wyo.-Utah) (as recorded)
  • Elephant Butte Reservoir (N.M.) (as recorded)
  • American Falls (Idaho) (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Colorado (as recorded)
  • Ada County (Idaho) (as recorded)
  • Arizona (as recorded)
  • Colorado (as recorded)
  • California (as recorded)
  • Idaho (as recorded)
  • Arizona (as recorded)
  • California (as recorded)
  • Wyoming (as recorded)
  • California (as recorded)
  • Arizona (as recorded)
  • Oregon (as recorded)
  • Arizona (as recorded)
  • American River (Calif.) (as recorded)
  • New Mexico (as recorded)
  • Colorado (as recorded)
  • Oregon (as recorded)
  • California (as recorded)
  • Nevada (as recorded)
  • West (U.S.) (as recorded)
  • Nebraska (as recorded)
  • American Falls Dam (Idaho) (as recorded)
  • California--Sacramento (as recorded)
  • Nebraska (as recorded)
  • Idaho--Boise River Valley (as recorded)
  • Folsom Dam (Calif.) (as recorded)

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